Activate Hamilton slate includes Dan Meehan, Annie Lowery, Gail Greene, Kimberly Fiorello and Tonya Miller
The outgoing Hamilton County Republican Party chairman says the conservative grassroots Activate Hamilton slate is using "fraudulent" means to try to register supporters for the upcoming party convention.
Mark Harrison made the statement at the Hamilton County Republican Women's Chili supper Friday night.
Mr. Harrison on Sunday contacted state Republican Party Chairman Scott Golden in regards to the Activate Hamilton registration link that is on its website.
Gail Greene, chairwoman of Activate Hamilton, responded, "Mark Harrison is lying to the Republican voters of Hamilton County because there is NO requirement to pre-register for the county reorganization convention.
His accusations about our website are baseless.
"Here at Activate Hamilton, we are pre-qualifying participants, which any person with a voting list can do. Once people know whether or not they are qualified and how to participate, they can be ACTIVATED to make our local Republican Party stronger than ever. For more information, I encourage people to visit www.activatehamilton.com"
Ms. Greene said earlier, “We want to invite active, conservative Republicans in Hamilton County to engage in the upcoming Hamilton County GOP Convention. Our goal is to create a more effective, goal-oriented Republican Party that is grassroots-up instead of establishment-down.”
The slate includes Ms. Greene, chairman: Homeschool mother, foster parent, legislative advocate, citizen lobbyist, leader of the Rep. Michele Reneau campaign; Dan Meehan, vice chairman: retired national security professional, lifelong conservative leader;
Anne Lowery, secretary: director of development for Civics + Culture ministry at Calvary
Chapel; Kimberly Fiorello, treasurer: former state representative and grassroots organizer, and Tonya Miller, vice treasurer, lifelong Republican volunteer and activist, experienced treasurer, property manager.
Former Hamilton County Sheriff Jim Hammond is also running to lead the county Republicans. He said recently, "I probably agree with 99 percent of the Activate Hamilton program, and I welcome working with them."
Here is the email Mr. Harrison sent to state GOP Chairman Golden and was also sent to Tina J. Benkiser, Ken Meyer, Emily Goldberg, Scott McColpin and David Queen:
I have received "concern" from several sources for my use of the term "fraudulent" to describe Gail Greene's campaign website. It dawned on me that you all may not know how the website is being or could be used. Thank you for your help in determining a better way to handle this, if there is one:
1. To my knowledge, the only way the website in question could be used to register people for the HCGOP Convention is for the owner of the website to take the information they collect and enter it into the TRP website manually. This creates an opportunity for the information collected to be screened / intercepted prior to being provided to the TRP.
2. See Carol Grohn's use of her position in the Chattanooga Republican Women to advertise the "two options...to sign up for the Hamilton County GOP Reorganization", below. Please also take note of her description of the official TRP registration link as the "generic" link instead of the correct or official link. As well as the inclusion of the Activate Hamilton logo in the communication, ironically just above the statement from Marsha that they are not to endorse a candidate.
3. Here is an example of what people who register on Gail Greene's campaign page receive:
ACTIVATE HAMILTON - registration received
Bona fide status - You ARE bona fide
Next steps:
PRAY for us!
Mark your calendar for MARCH 1st - 9:00am until 2:00pm @ Hixson Middle School Gym
Reply to this email and confirm that you ARE planning to attend
Tell 5 friends or family members about ACTIVATE HAMILTON and send them to our website www.activatehamilton.com
Thank you for making a difference!!! Let's WIN!
Sincerely,
Gail, Dan, Anne, Kimberly, & Tonya
Donations can be mailed to:
Gail Greene
212 Grayson Road
Signal Mountain, TN 37377
or
Venmo @Gail-Greene
Meanwhile, Tina Benkiser, state Republican Executive Committee member, wrote to Mrs. Grohn, who is the wife of County School Board member Larry Grohn:
Carol,
You may already have received information on this issue. However, I received an email about something you sent out or published saying that there were 2 ways to register (or pre-register) for the HCGOP Reorganization. I just want to make it clear so that there is no misunderstanding - There is ONLY ONE way to pre-register - through the Tennessee GOP website, i.e. the state party website.
For those who pre-register on the Tennessee GOP website, the state party staff will check their voting records. It will then provide the local Contest & Credentials Committee with a list of those who pre-registered & are qualified participants. Anyone who pre-registers with the state party but whose voting record as per the Tennessee GOP Database does not clearly qualify as being 3/4 in Hamilton County will be given an opportunity to address the Contest & Credentials Committee and offer up proof that they actually do qualify under TN GOP Bylaws and Rules. Anyone who does not pre-register with the Tennessee GOP but shows up on the day of the reorganization conventions will not be allowed to participate in the conventions if the Tennessee GOP Database does not show them to be qualified. There is no way to check other election records that day. We no longer have vouchers, waivers, or any type of exceptions. So, it is to everyone’s benefit to pre-register.
The only official pre-registration site can be found at tngop.org. On the front page of the TN GOP website, interested voters can click on “2025 County Party Reorganizations.” Then, click on “Register Here” & follow the instructions.
Thanks,
Tina
Tina Benkiser
Tennessee Republican Party
State Executive Committee SD 11
Mr. Harrison has also issued a press release answering questions about the upcoming convention.
It states:
In preparation for the upcoming County Party reorganizations, the Hamilton County
Republican Party would like to ensure our citizens are provided all necessary information and proper notification of the reorganization process.
The Hamilton County Republican Party Reorganization of the Executive Committee will be
held Saturday, March 1, at the Hixson Middle School Gym. Doors open at 9 a.m.
Any candidate seeking the office of Chairman is required to notify the Contest & Credentials Committee seven calendar days prior to the reorganization of their intent to seek the chairmanship. If a Chairman candidate does not notify the Contest & Credentials Committee within this timeframe, they will not be eligible for office. If you are interested in seeking the office of Chairman to the County Executive Committee, you must contact the Contest & Credentials Committee at hcgop@hcgop.com.
All other positions can be nominated from the floor.
Anyone seeking to attend and participate in the 2025 Hamilton County Reorganization Convention, must be qualified under TRP Rule E, Section 5. Pre-registration is strongly recommended to ensure you are qualified to participate.
To pre-register for the delegated convention you must use the OFFICIAL Tennessee Republican Party link: https://form.123formbuilder.com/6782152/2025-county-party-re-org-registration. This is the only link where one can officially register to participate. If any other link is used, you will not be considered as pre-registered.
Anyone failing to pre-register and who is determined not to be qualified in accordance with the TRP Rule E will not be allowed to participate in the 2025 Hamilton County Organization Convention.
Everyone is encouraged to refer to the Tennessee Republican Party Bylaws, Article VIII, Section 5 for qualifications to run for County Party offices.
Question:
1. Do I need to pre-register to attend the convention?
To pre-register for the delegated convention you must use the OFFICIAL Tennessee Republican Party link (don’t be fooled by any counterfeit websites):
https://form.123formbuilder.com/6782152/2025-county-party-re-org-registration
2. Will any qualified republicans be turned away on the day of the convention if they have NOT registered with the State GOP?
There will be two lines the morning of the convention. The lines will consist of those that have pre-registered and those that have not. The people that have pre-registered will probably go through their line quite quickly, as they have already been pre-vetted. The other line, those that have not pre-registered, will probably move very slow. The contest and credentials board will have to individually vet each person. If they meet the criteria of voting republican in the last 3 of 4 state primaries and zero democratic votes, then they will be considered qualified and allowed to attend. If they do not meet the qualify requirements, they will not be allowed to attend as a potential delegate but can still attend as a guest. The meeting is open to the public, but only delegates/alternates are allowed on the main flow. We will have an area set aside for guest and press.
3. Is there a time limit for those who arrive at the convention and have to wait in line for their qualifications to be verified? In other words, can the convention begin before all qualified participants have been verified?
The convention will not start electing the delegates until all people have been verified.
We plan to start the convention around 10:00 or 10:30 but if they show up late they will not be allowed to attend.
4. Will childcare be provided or will there be an area for people who need to bring their children along?
Only qualified delegates are allowed on the main floor. There will be an area set aside for guests but there will be no daycare facilities provided.
5. Will the press have adequate access to witness the entire convention process? Does the press need to register with someone in advance?
The press is allowed to attend the convention, and their press pass will be sufficient to allow access. The press will only be allowed in the guest area during the entire convention.
6. How will each precinct elect their leadership, and delegates should there be an excess number of qualified participants versus delegates/alternates? Will this process be clearly explained to people who may not have participated in the past?
Each precinct will receive a folder with several forms included along with clear instructions on how to elect their delegates as well as precinct chair. Each precinct will have a maximum number of delegates allowed. If there are more people than allowed they then become alternates up to the same number of delegates. The alternates can sit in for a delegate provided the delegate doesn’t return to the afternoon session.
7. How will the certification sheets from each precinct be verified and how can participants be sure these will not change from the morning to the afternoon? Can participants take pictures?
The delegate sheets will be verified in the afternoon when we reconvene for the convention. There will be a roll call of all precincts, at that time the delegates will be verified against their delegate form, and they will receive their ballots.
Pictures are not allowed without express permission of everyone in the picture.
8. How can someone protest/contest a participant voting in the wrong precinct?
You will need to tell anyone of the Contest & Credential board members. This needs to be done before we re-convene in the afternoon.
9. The by-laws say each candidate for office may appoint a delegate to observe the vote being tallied. How do we make sure this happens?
It will be the responsibility of the candidate to select a person to do the observation. There will be a table set up in the front where the votes will be tallied. The candidates are responsible for having the person they chose to simply come over to the table and observe.
10. How are the delegates calculated? And where did you get the information that led you to announce 439 delegates at the Contest and Credentials Committee Meeting?
The state provided the list based upon the precinct’s voter tallies in the presidential election of republican votes cast for president. This information, I’m sure, was provided by the election commission to the state.
11. How is an Actively involved Republican defined?
The State Party bylaws state:
For purposes of this Article, “actively involved” includes, without limitation, attending TRP meetings or events; regularly attending Republican county party meetings or events; being a member of a recognized auxiliary organization for at least one year; working on the campaign of a Republican candidate for office in the most recent previous election cycle; contribution of money to the TRP, a county party, any recognized auxiliary organization, or to a Republican candidate committee with confirmation by the candidate or candidate’s campaign official; provided, however, that such activity or actions must have occurred during the time period elapsing since the most recent reorganization of the county Republican party in the county in which the individual resides.